The present invention relates to separately storing at least two substances, to mixing them together, and to dispensing the resulting mixture.
French patent application 2 290 366 discloses a device enabling two substances to be stored separately, to be mixed together, and the resulting mixture to be dispensed, that device comprising a necked receptacle containing one of the substances and a perforated plate made of a semi-rigid plastics material such as polyvinyl chloride, containing the other substance and disposed on the neck of the receptacle.
A pushbutton is provided to tear off a tab closing the perforated plate and to enable the substance contained therein to fall into the receptacle and be mixed with the other substance.
Also known, from French patent application FR 2 722 765 in the name of the Applicant company, is a device comprising a receptacle and a removable shutter placed inside the receptacle for separating two chambers respectively containing the two substances prior to first use. On first use of the device the shutter is removed or torn by means of a pushbutton so as to put said chambers into communication and enable said substances to be mixed together. On each occasion that the pushbutton is depressed, it is also advantageously used to establish a pressure rise within the receptacle and the expulsion of a predetermined quantity of the mixture. A return spring enable the pushbutton to be returned to its initial position when the user releases it. Typically, since at least one of the two substances is a liquid, it is necessary for the pushbutton to move in sealed manner relative to the receptacle so as to avoid any leakage. Sealing is obtained by the pushbutton being an exact fit in a cylindrical portion of the receptacle, and, if necessary, sealing is reinforced by the presence of a sealing skirt surrounding said cylindrical portion. A tamperproofing ring can prevent the pushbutton being moved so long as the ring is present on the receptacle. Such a device has rather a large number of component parts and it is therefore relatively expensive to manufacture and to assemble.
An object of the present invention is to further improve that type of device, in particular for the purpose of reducing its manufacturing cost.
The invention achieves this by providing a novel device for separate storage of at least two substances, for mixing them together, and for dispensing the mixture obtained in this way, the device being of the type comprising a receptacle, at least one removable shutter suitable, prior to first use of the device, for separating two chambers within the receptacle for containing said substances respectively, and a pushbutton for moving during first use to cause said shutter to move away to be torn and to put the two chambers into communication with each other, the device including a gasket comprising a portion fixed to the receptacle and a deformable portion made of an elastically-deformable material, suitable for deforming when the pushbutton is depressed so as to accompany the movement thereof, while continuing to constitute a sealing barrier between the inside of the receptacle and the pushbutton.
Because of the invention, manufacture and assembly of the device can be simplified since the pushbutton and the receptacle no longer need to be fitted together precisely in order to obtain sealing in use and during storage. The pushbutton and the receptacle can also have a wide variety of shapes.
The deformable portion of the gasket, made of an elastically-deformable material, behave like a spring serving to return the pushbutton each time it is released by the user.
The pushbutton can thus be used to generate excess pressure inside the receptacle each time it is depressed, and to cause a predetermined quantity of mixture to be expelled.
Preferably, the pushbutton is connected to the receptacle by at least one bridge of breakable material for breaking on first use. Manufacture of the device is thus simplified since the pushbutton can be integrally molded with a portion of the receptacle. The bridge(s) of material which is/are broken on first use serve advantageously as tamperproofing indicators. This avoids the use of a tamperproofing ring applied to the receptacle of the kind that is to be found in prior art devices.
Advantageously, the pushbutton is shaped so that on first use it deforms said deformable portion in such a manner as to form a pointed zone for striking the shutter.
Preferably, the gasket is made of a thermoplastic elastomer, thereby facilitating recycling of the device.
The gasket can be made deformable by having a special shape, such as localized thinning of its wall. In a variant, it is also possible to shape the deformable portion of the gasket as a bellows.
Preferably, the deformable portion of the gasket is generally in the form of a glove finger whose transverse dimension is selected so that at least a part of said deformable portion remains substantially in contact with the wall of the receptacle during displacement of the pushbutton. Preferably, one of the substances is contained in a chimney of the receptacle, the pushbutton is mounted on the receptacle so as to be capable of being moved over a depression stroke greater than or equal to the maximum height of the substance contained in said chimney, and said deformable portion has one end adapted to slide in contact with the wall of said chimney. This makes it possible to expel substantially all of the substance contained in one of the chambers into the other chamber on first depression of the pushbutton. This ensures that when the substance in contact with the gasket is a powder, while the other substance contained in the receptacle is a liquid, no lumps of powder remain in nooks or crannies when the two chambers are put into communication with each other.
The free end of the deformable portion may have one or more portions in relief for creating one or more tear starters in the shutter or for facilitating departure thereof by exerting localized thrust suitable for facilitating displacement thereof relative to the receptacle.
Provision can thus be made at the free end of the deformable portion of the gasket for a central stud or a peripheral annular lip that is continuous or otherwise.
In a particular embodiment of the invention, the receptacle is formed by assembling together a hollow body and an end portion including a base for fixing to said body and a cover fixed to the base and connected via at least one bridge of material to the pushbutton prior to first use of the device. Advantageously, said base, said cover, and said pushbutton are integrally molded as a single piece, with the base being connected via a film hinge to the cover. In this way, manufacture and assembly of the device are greatly simplified compared with prior art devices. In a variant, the cover can be made independently from the base and can be fixed thereon by snap-fastening. Also, it is possible to make the base and the cover having various profiles depending on the desired appearance, but that are preferably selected so that, after the base and the cover have been assembled together, they confer a shape to the end portion suitable for serving as a grip or an abutment for the fingers of the user in order to prevent the device from sliding when the user presses down on the pushbutton.
The shutter may be constituted by an aluminum film heat sealed onto said base. In a variant, it may be integrally molded with the receptacle. It may also be constituted by a separate plug placed in the receptacle.
The portion of the pushbutton which comes into contact with the gasket may be of various different shapes.
In a particular embodiment of the invention, it is thus possible to make said portion in the form of a set of tongues organized to constitute a cone converging towards the center of the gasket and pressing via their free ends substantially against the middle of the gasket and over a small extent so as to exert central thrust on the shutter.
Preferably, means are provided for retaining the pushbutton on the receptacle after the bridge(s) of material that act as tamperproofing indicator(s) has/have been broken.
It is thus possible to secure the gasket to the pushbutton by adhesive, heat sealing, friction, or snap-fastening. It is also possible to provide the receptacle and/or the pushbutton with catches or tongues capable of retaining the pushbutton after it has been pushed down initially.
The invention also provides a method of manufacturing a device for separately storing at least two substances, for mixing them together, and for dispensing the mixture obtained in this way, the method comprising the steps consisting in:
making a hollow body provided with removable closure means at one end and open at another end;
making an end portion by integral molding, said end portion including a base and a cover connected together by a film hinge, said cover including a pushbutton connected to the remainder of the cover via at least one bridge of breakable material, said end portion including a chimney;
fixing or forming a removable shutter at one end of said chimney;
filling said chimney with a first substance;
applying a gasket onto said chimney and shaped to close said chimney;
applying the cover onto the base by pivoting about the axis of rotation of said film hinge;
filling said hollow body with a second substance via said open end; and
fitting said end portion on said open end of said hollow body.